Kenya Takes Lead in E-waste Recycling

Kenya recently launched a large-scale e-waste recycling facility which many see as a model for waste collection and recycling in developing countries. Jointly developed by Kenya’s government, NGOs, IT companies and e-waste recyclers, it creates a business model that ensures responsible recycling of e-waste while creating thousands of jobs.

Shipping containers will be set up at more than 40 collection points in Kenya, each functioning as an independent small business that purchases e-waste from newly trained individual collectors (generally from east Africa).

When a shipping container is full, business owners sell the contents to a central hub where the e-waste is processed into its components. Then they are sold once again, this time back to the technology industry for reuse. Each stage is designed to be profitable for participants, from individual collector to collection point to hub.